By: Matt Goehner and Matt Haren
LET’S GO BUFFALOES!!!!! The Milligan student section roared as our beloved Lady Buffs closed out the regular season in first place in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) with a home win over Union College. We all felt the emotion of Senior Night as the Milligan family honored its outgoing seniors. Such surging emotions have come from the wild ride that has been the Lady Buffaloes’ season-long march to the national tournament.
We were able to sit down with Head Coach Rich Aubrey and get his take on this special season. “I felt like this has been a gratifying season,” was his response when asked to sum up the past few months. During the interview, we could feel the energy in Coach’s words and could tell he was just as excited as his players. He mentioned his three seniors, Dorian Freeman, Johneshia Good, and Jamie Hill as the driving force behind this successful campaign. “I’ve never had a class as passionate about basketball as our three seniors,” Aubrey remarked. That was immediately evident while watching them play. From the opening tip, the seniors were at the forefront of the fast-pace offense that led them to a 16-2 regular season conference record and a top 25 ranking for most of the year. “We want to play fast,” Coach said when asked about the tempo. As fans, we enjoy the speed. As seniors, this is the first time we’ve seen our Lady Buffaloes make the national tournament, and it’s been an awesome run to watch. With the tournament seeding announced, we now know the Lady Buffaloes will be a seven seed and will take on the second seed College of the Ozarks, the Lady Bobcats. The Lady Buffs are carrying energy and determination into this tournament, coupled with senior leadership; that is an exciting combination to any fan. When asked about the tournament, Coach Aubrey said, “We’re placing a heavy emphasis on the first round game and then we’ll take it from there.”
If Milligan advances to the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Tournament, they will be the first Lady Buffaloes team to do so. From what we have seen in the games and in the interview, they have what it takes to do just that.
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